The Whale Has Wings Vol 1 - Rebirth (39 page)

Glossary

AA
- Anti Aircraft (guns).

AI
- Airborne Intercept (radar). A small, light radar set capable of being carried on a plane to allow it to intercept another aircraft at night.

ASDIC
- what later became known as SONAR, a high-frequency sound system designed to detect a submerged submarine. At this time, rarely usable above 1,500 - 2000 metres.

A/S
- Antisubmarine

ASV
- Air to Surface radar, a small airborne set designed to spot ships and, later, smaller objects such as submarines.

Avgas
- Aviation Gasoline (fuel), very volatile and very dangerous.

CAP
- Combat Air Patrol, the act of keeping a number of fighters in the air above the carrier or fleet ready to intercept enemy aircraft.

DB
- Dive Bomber, an aircraft designed to deliver a single bomb in a very steep (normally over 70°) dive.

FAA
- Fleet Air Arm, the aeroplanes flown and controlled by the Royal Navy

HA
- also known as HA(AA), the guns capable of attacking a high-altitude enemy plane. Normally used against high altitude level bombing. While not terribly accurate at this time, the aim was to disrupt the formation of the attackers, making them miss, rather than to shoot them down. Level bombers depended on the 'shotgun' principle of bombing during this period.

Hammer-and-Anvil attack
- a type of attack by torpedo planes. Two groups of planes will attack 90° apart, one the 'hammer', the other the 'anvil'. Dodging the torpedoes of one group will put the ship broadside on to the other group. The ideal torpedo attack against a moving ship.

HMS
- His Majesties Ship (British); also HMAS - His Majesties Australian Ship, HMCS - His Majesties Canadian Ship, HMNZS - His Majesties New Zealand Ship.

HIMJS
- His Imperial Japanese Majesties Ship (Japan)

Kriegsmarine
- the German Navy

LA
- Low angle guns, normally those unable to elevate above about 40 degrees, so unable to fire on a plane over the ship. In fact these guns can be used as antiaircraft guns, but only on aircraft some distance away (the angle of the aircraft increases as it closes the ship). Usually even less accurate than HA fire, as this type of gun was not usually matched with the control system designed to engage aircraft.

Luftwaffe
- the German Air Force

MN
- Marine Nationale, the French navy

Pom-pom - the name given in the RN to a fast-firing light AA weapon. Originally firing a 2-pdr shell, then the 40mm shell, given its name due to the sound the multi-barrel version made

RA - Regia Aeronautica, the Italian Air Force (Italy did not have a separate naval air force)

RAF
- the British Air force

RDF
- Radio Direction Finding, an early (British) name for Radar (so named to try and mislead what it actually did)

RN
- Royal Navy, the British naval forces. Also the RAN (Australian), RCN (Canadian), and RNZN (New Zealand).

Round down - the aft part of a carriers flight deck. This was 'rounded down' in a downward curve, which improved the airflow and made it easier for a plane to land. It also reduced the available deck parking area, and so was reduced on British carriers as larger strikes became more common.

SAP - Semi Armour Piercing

Shadow factory
- A set of factories built in the mid-30's in Britain ready to be used as aircraft factories in war. In fact the need for aircraft due to the expansion of the Luftwaffe meant they were brought into use before the war, and more built. The term 'shadow program' came to be used for anything built in advance of wartime needs, such as the Japanese programme of 'Shadow Carriers', merchant ships built ready for easy conversion into light carriers.

TBR
- Torpedo, Bomber, Reconnaissance. A class of plane used by most navies in these three roles. Bombing was normally level bombing with light bombs, although some aircraft like the Swordfish could dive bomb at shallow dive angles.

Twins
- or the twins, the two German Battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau.

USS
- United States Ship (USA)

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